Alice'S Secret
by His Gem
Summary: Just why is Alice always so happy?


I had come to the conclusion that the most terrifying of all things, always came in the smallest packages.

For instance, although I had no problem with spending my day lounging with vampires and warewolves, I did find myself getting nervous when a spider would cross my path. Spiders were small, spiders were scary. As were snakes, scorpions and a whole list of insects that I have no desire to think about.

Which is how I figured out that Alice, being the smallest of the Cullens, especially compared to Emmett, was the most frightening. Even more so, when she was holding a make up bag in one hand and a comb in the other.

There was no denying the little monster as she dragged me out of Edwards cool embrace, away from the movie we were currently watching together in the family living room. I could hear Emmett snickering under his breath. My head snapped in his direction where he was sitting on the floor leaning against the couch, and I glared at him.

He shut up immediately.

"Alice…" Edward started, beginning to get up.

Alice shook the brush in his direction. "Don't you 'Alice' me! I haven't had her all week and the wedding is in a few days! You have to let me practice on her!" She nearly ripped my arm off as she dragged me up the stairs.

I took one last glance at Edward and pouted. "Some fine protector you are…" I muttered.

When we were upstairs and out of sight of the boys, I could hear them burst into laughter.

How infuriating. Was no one on my side?

Alice led me down the hall to her room and sat me down on a little stool facing her mirror. There is nothing more awkward that having to sit and watch yourself being tortured. I always tried to look away from the mirror, but it was always difficult with Alice tugging my head one way or another while she was combing, curling, or doing whatever to my hair.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to drift away.

There were only three days until the wedding. Even though I had finally concluded that this was exactly what I wanted, there was still this huge knot in the pit of my stomach. I was nervous about falling down the stairs, or doing something equally as embarrassing. I was nervous about what I would look like next to Alice and Rosalie. Each of them were so beautiful that it sometimes hurt to look at them and I felt completely stupid standing next to them. At the same time, I hoped that their beauty distracted everyone at the wedding and that they wouldn't be looking at me. There was nothing more nerve wracking to me than being the center of attention.

I was also nervous about meeting the Denali's for the first time. Edward would always try to soothe my fears about them, but it was something that I couldn't help. Emmetts teasing wasn't helping either. He was constantly talking about how Tanya would throw herself at Edward in the past and each time he spoke about it drove me more and more crazy. To the point where I wanted to rip the hair from my head.

I was shaken from my thoughts when Alice abruptly stopped brushing my hair.

I opened my eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror to see her eyes glazed over. Her hand was still raised above my head with hair still in the brush.

She was having a vision.

Apparently a good one because as I watched her, I could see the corners of her lips gradually move up into a satisfied grin. Her eyes unglazed and she let out a giggle and jumped slightly from foot to foot.

Seconds later, I could hear the piano being played downstairs, obviously by Edward, in what sounded like a cheerful show tune. Alice bobbed her head to the music he was playing and continued bushing out my hair.

"Uh-are you going to tell me what that was about?" I asked, the curiosity was killing me.

Her eyes were practically glowing and she was still doing little jumps and bobbing her head. "The punch bowl that I ordered will be showing up with the UPS truck in about an hour!" I shook my head in confusion. "Don't move!!" She ordered cheerfully.

All this giddiness over just a punch bowl?

I wondered if I would be so cheerful and energetic after I was turned. None of the other Cullens ever acted as if they'd had fifteen cups of coffee. They never jumped around in glee or started dancing at random times. Edward had once said that they mostly all act the same way as they had when they were all human, but for some reason I had a feeling that this wasn't how Alice had acted before she was turned.

Although, maybe that was why she'd been put into the mental institution in the first place.

I giggled a bit to myself at that though, but was glad that both her and Edward did not have the ability to read my mind. I didn't know if my little joke would make her upset.

The music stopped and a few moments later, Edward was at Alices door. I could see him lean against the door frame, with his arms crossed out of the corner of my eye. He wore his signature crooked smile as he watched his sister torture me. I watched him take his hand and run it through his hair-

Alice hit my shoulder. "Breathe Bella, you're about to swoon."

I didn't need to look in the mirror to know that my face was turning bright red. After all this time you would think that I would be used to how beautiful he was. Each time I saw him, it was just like the first time. He took my breath away… literally.

He pushed himself away from the door frame and walked further into the room. "Enough Alice, you've been at it for half an hour. Let Bella relax. I'm going out for a quick hunt, would you like to join me?"

Alice tossed the brush over her shoulder and grinned. "Sure!" She patted me on the head softly. "You get to spend some quality time with Emmett!" Laughing, she skipped over to Edward while I slowly got off the chair.

I didn't know which was worse, being made over by Alice or being made fun of by Emmett.

Edward swept me into his arms hugged me as tightly as he dared. "I won't be long love. Maybe just an hour or two. I'll miss you." He whispered into my ear.

"I'll miss you more, trust me." I stood on my toes to kiss him quickly on the lips. "Hurry and go so you can get back faster please." I begged.

He laughed and held my hand as we descended down the stairs towards the front door. Alice danced by me. "Can you please watch for the UPS man and make sure that Emmett doesn't go near the bowl? He's going to break it. Just put it on the kitchen counter."

"Okay…" Although I wasn't sure why she would trust me with anything that was breakable either.

A few moments later, they were gone. The only thing to do was go into the living room where I could hear Emmett playing some sort of video game. "BELL-A!!! Hurry up!" He shouted.

I sighed, shaking my head. He was a wonderful big brother, and I truly loved him, but sometimes… I couldn't wait to be a newborn so I could maybe knock some sense into him. He was like an overgrown five year old at times, and I don't know how Rosalie handled him.

I guess it worked because she always wanted a child of her own, and he was sort of like one.

I plopped down onto the floor next to him and he tossed me a controller which, naturally, I was not able to catch. It clattered to the floor and I let it sit there for a second. His barking laughter was making my head hurt.

He reached over me and grabbed the controller and placed it gently in my hands. "Sorry Bella, I'll be more careful next time." He said softly. "Lets race!"

I grinned at him. No matter how annoying, or how childish he was… it was very hard to stay mad at him.

He started the game and we chose our cars. I wasn't too concerned with what type it would be, I knew he would beat me no matter what. Knowing that vampires could easily concentrate on two things at once I figured now would be a good time to ask him about Alice.

"Hey Em… was Alice always so-"

"Psychotic?" He broke in. "Crazy? Annoying? Straaaaange?"

I elbowed him playfully. "No dummy. Energetic. She just never slows down. And she's always so… perky."

"She's been that way for as long as I've known her. I do happen to notice that she bounces a lot more after she's had visions. Even when she sees something bad, she kind of hops a little, it's kind of weird. " He said thoughtfully.

I let myself go over the facts as I absentmindedly drove my car and tried my hardest not to crash into anything. I wasn't truly paying attention to what was happening on the screen when all of the sudden Emmett reached over and pulled my controller cord from out of the console, at the same time that I heard the front door open.

I looked at him, exasperated. "What the heck did you do that for!?!?"

Emmett wasn't paying attention as he, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth, concentrated on the screen. I could see Jasper walking into the room, but what caught my attention was Emmetts car passing mine on the television and then the flashing words "First Place!" appeared on his side of the screen.

Jasper started laughing, while I seethed. "Emmett, was I just about to win? Did you really just do that to me?"

By this point, Jasper was doubled over and Emmett looked both proud and confused. "I'm sorry Bella, I don't know-"

"Were you feeling a bit competative Em?" Jasper said in between laughs.

Finally figuring out what happened, I reached behind me, grabbed a plush white pillow and threw it in Jaspers direction. It didn't even come close to hitting him. "Jazz, that was the first time I even came close."

His laughter subsided and his face turned serious. "I'm sorry Bella, I didn't realize." He picked up the pillow, placed it on the couch and sat down on the other side of me. He sent me wave of calm and I nearly slid onto the floor like a pile of mush. "Oops, sorry again. I forget that it doesn't take as much as it does the rest of the family." After finally being able to sit up properly I looked over at him thoughtfully.

He had come so far in the last year, where I was concerned. He had really opened himself up and was even able to sit close to me without having to hold his breath. He had worked very hard to be able to do that, and it always shocked me that he thought I was worth the effort.

I tilted my head to the side. "Did you happen catch any of our conversation?"

"Oh, you mean what you used to distract Emmett so he would lose? Yeah, I caught some of it." He said, grinning.

It was Jaspers turn to be elbowed this time. He acted like it hurt and grimaced clutching his side and falling over.

I sat back against the couch, content. They may both be the biggest jokesters on the planet (and the oldest) but they would make the best older brothers in the world.

"So, do you have any incite on why Alice is the way that she is?" I asked. I was determined to find an answer, for some reason, I had this nagging feeling that she was hiding something.

Jasper shrugged. "I've basically noticed the same thing as Emmett here, but I can tell you that she's been like that since the moment that we met in that diner. During her visions, I always sense a feeling of… I guess you would call it glee. It's almost like the visions give her a shot of happy. I can't really explain it any other way. "

Emmett broke in. "And it usually affects Edward in some way too!" Both Jasper and I turned to him. "He usually goes over to his piano and starts playing horrible music."

Another dead end. I figured that if anyone were to know it would be Jasper. And Emmett's information was useless, he had no taste in music.

Jasper must have sensed my disappointment because he put his arm around my shoulder. "Sorry m'am. Girls are still a mystery to me. Maybe you can ask Esme, she's out in the back gardening or Edward when he gets home. Or even Alice herself?"

I nodded and went to stand, tossing my controller to Jasper. "I guess I'll ask Esme. Thanks!" I saw Jasper reach to plug in the controller as I made my way out to the back.

Esme was in the garden doing some last minute pruning and touch ups for the wedding. She wanted the entire house to look perfect and that included all of the shrubbery. As I made my way to her, she leaned back on her heels and smiled warmly over her shoulder at me. "I heard you have a question for me sweetheart." She patted the spot next to her on the ground and I took a on the grass. I would deal with Alice's wrath later about the grass stains.

Something I hoped that I would get used to after being changed is being able to hear whatever anyone is doing anywhere in the house. I shuddered. Edward and I would have to go far far away if we were ever to be intimate. I would be mortified if someone heard.

"Do you know anything about why Alice is the way that she is? Today she was dancing because of a punch bowl. Do you think that she was so hyper when she was a human?" The words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop them and as soon as they did, I realized that it came off as rude. "I'm sorry Esme, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

She took off her gardening glove and patted my leg. "Don't worry about it dear. Once in a while we all wonder where Alice gets her energy from. Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you. I wasn't blessed with the opportunity to know her when she was still human, and wasn't even able to help her through her newborn years. So I cant say if she has been like that her entire life or even if she began that way as a vampire either. Since she doesn't remember much from before she was turned, she may not even have the answer for you."

She stared at the flowers in front of her. I wondered what she was thinking. With how tender and loving Esme was, I was almost positive that she was thinking about how badly she felt that Alice's parents left her at the mental hospital and had her declared dead. I'm sure for a woman who has lost their own child, knowing that a parent could do that would hurt. "I always thought it very lucky that Alice doesn't really remember. She was not the same for a while after she found out what had happened. I would hate to see what pain she would have gone through if she woke up after the change, remembering what her parents did, and all of those things that had gone on in that hospital. I am thankful for every day that she has that brilliant smile on her face and a bounce in her step."

I leaned against Esme and she put her arm around my shoulders to hug her against her side. "I also thank God for every day with you as well dear. You, Alice and Rosalie have brought such joy to my life. Even those boys-"

Her declaration was cut off by a loud crash from inside the house. We both jumped to our feet and raced back towards the house, she of course faster than I.

I realized then, that I had not waited for the UPS truck.

I found Emmett and Jasper by the front door, both cleaning up the remains of the punch bowl from the floor, both with looks of shame upon their faces. Esme stood over them, arms crossed and tapping her foot.

She looked up at me. "Forget what I said about the boys!"

"Alice is going to KILL me Esme, she specifically told me to get the package and that if Emmett went near it, it would break. This is all my fault…" I frantically tried to reach down and help them but Jaspers hand shot out and grabbed my arm.

"Bella, please don't even think of touching a piece of glass. Go sit on the couch, we'll clean up. It was our faults."

"But-"

Jasper got up from the floor and led me over to the couch. "No buts. Just sit."

So I sat and watched as Esme pointed out every piece of glass that littered the floor, as if the boys couldn't see the glass themselves.

Minutes later, Edward opened the front door.

Alice bounced in from behind him. "You didn't listen to me Bella!" She laughed.

Edward shook his head at his brothers on the floor and sat next to me on the couch, placing a sweet kiss on my forehead. I looked at Alice in confusion. "I thought you would be angry at me. I'm so sorry."

Alice waved her hands in the air. "It's alright, there's another one coming tomorrow. I knew it would break anyway." She plopped herself into an armchair on the other side of the room and kicked off her shoes. "Did you guys have fun?" She grinned at me wickedly.

I yawned and sighed. "Yeah, a blast. I'm just about ready to go home and go to sleep." I glanced at Edward. "I know it's early, but I'm worn out. Would that be alright?"

He smiled at me and scooped me up from the couch. "Your wish is my command!"

We said our goodbyes and he ran me out to the Volvo. "I can walk you know." I grinned at him.

"Yes, I'm well aware. Induldge me." He said, buckling me in and a swift kiss on the lips.

He ran to his side of the car so quickly I could barley see him and got in. We sat in comfortable silence for the ride home. All of the information I had learned, or not learned rather, swirled in my head. None of it made any sense. Maybe I should ask Edward.

I opened my mouth to ask but Edward beat me to it.

Taking his eyes off the road he looked into mine and rendered me speechless. "I know that there is something that you wanted to ask me about."

When I was able to breathe again I laughed. "I guess Alice saw me asking people all day huh?"

"Something like that. You're just too observant. Actually, more observant than most of the family put together. They've all picked up on little snip-its, but no one has ever put it together. She could see that you were going to keep asking and that if I didn't tell you now, and swear you to secrecy, that eventually everyone would put it together, and she would never hear the end of it." His thumb stroked the palm of my hand and it almost distracted me from what he was saying. Almost.

I started at him in shock. I hadn't realized it was such a big deal. "So I was right? There is something weird about how happy she is all of the time."

He nodded. "But like I said, you're not allowed to tell this to anyone. Not even Jasper."

"Um, alright." I felt horrible keeping secrets from Jasper about Alice, but if that's the way that she wanted it, then I would have to abide by her rules. "What's the big secret?'

He struggled for a moment to find the right words, which I found strange in itself. I'd never really seen him at a loss for words before.

"Alice's visions… they're not exactly… how things happen." He began, crinkling his eyebrows in concentration. I turned in my seat so that I was facing him more. He had me complete, undivided attention.

"Alice's visions come through-Ugh… Bella there is no easy way to say this." He looked frustrated beyond belief. Could it really be so bad?

"They're played out like musicals."

There was no possible way that I heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

He took a deep breath. "You heard me. They are like musicals. Like someone is putting on a production of RENT in her head. That's why I sometimes jump to the piano." His eyes were back on the road.

"Do you mean to tell me that all of her visions are like this?" He grimaced and nodded. "So when she had visions of James killing me in the ballet studio-"

He held up his hand to silence me. "Yes Bella. There was dancing involved. It fit with the studio and all."

There was nothing I could really even say to that. He'd witnessed me die in his head, I had known that and had always felt horrible about it. The thought of the scene being played out like an actual ballet was almost… funny. How had he not laughed?

I thought for a moment about all of the visions that had changed the course of our lives. "How about when you went to Voltera?"

He nodded again, I could see his jaw clenching. "That as well. She showed me afterward. It was, interesting... to say the least. The same goes for when you jumped from the cliff."

"What about Alice's visions of me being a vampire?" I asked quietly.

I could see him roll his eyes. "You and I are literally prancing around a forest in slow motion, wearing clothes that look straight out of Oklahoma! It's utterly ridiculous ."

I covered my mouth and tried not to laugh but couldn't help it. The laughter broke though and soon I was holding my stomach it hurt so much.

"You can not tell anyone about this." He laughed his warning.

He pulled up in front of my house and stopped the car. Turning to me, he took both of my hands in his and gazed into my eyes.

"Don't you see Bella? She's always perky because she's got theater productions in her head. How could you not bounce around?"

Alice's behavior now made complete and total sense.

And my lips were sealed.

* * *

I know it was completely random, and somewhat long (it wasn't supposed to be nearly this long and i actually cut a lot out) I hope you like it. I wrote it for Katie. We were discussing a certain moment the second time we saw New Moon and i just HAD to write it :)


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